The Artist and his Model 1919 - 1921

Edvard Munch, painted 'The Artist and his Model' with oils, using a fast, loose style. You can see the process in the brushstrokes, like he’s thinking out loud on the canvas. There’s something about the way the paint is applied— kind of thick and juicy in some spots, thin and transparent in others— that gets me thinking about intimacy and distance. The model’s face is turned down, almost as if she’s trying to disappear into the blue of her dressing gown, the artist on the other hand, is rigid and fully formed. Looking at the white sheet where the body is laid out, almost as if the artist has thrown away what he has just created. Reminds me a little of Picasso, in the way he flattens space. There's something uncomfortable but truthful that resonates with me. It’s like Munch is showing us that art-making is a messy business, full of doubt and not always beautiful.